WAW: Lesson - The End of World War II

The End of World War II

The End of the War: Europe

Allied troops spent the years from 1943 to 1945 pushing the Axis troops into retreat—it was slow-going. Finally, in 1945, the Allied troops entered Germany from the East, the West, and the South. On April 30, 1945, with Allied troops closing in on their final destination of Berlin, Adolf Hitler committed suicide. On May 8, 1945, Germany signed a surrender to the Allies on all fronts. The Allies were victorious and the date is referred to as V-E Day (Victory in Europe.)

Image note: V-E Day celebration in Canada shows about a dozen young adults smiling and piled on top of a car. They are driving down a parade route. There is celebratory confetti/papers on the road and flags on buildings).

The End of the War: Japan

With the war over in Europe and Africa, the Allied Powers were free to focus on the war in the Pacific Theater. In the Spring of 1945 (just before Germany surrendered,) the Allies fought two battles that placed them within striking distance of Japan—the Battle of Iwo Jima and the Battle of Okinawa. From there, the Allies stepped up their direct aerial attacks on the home islands of Japan with night bombings of major cities.

During the time between the Battle of Okinawa and the surrender of Japan, the Allies dropped more than 100,000 tons of firebombs on the cities of Japan. As many of the cities in Japan were constructed out of wood, the devastation was almost total in Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kobe, Osaka, and others. On July 26, 1945, the Allies issued an ultimatum to Japan to surrender. The Japanese rejected the ultimatum which made no reference to America's new secret weapon- the atomic bomb.

The Atomic Bomb

On August 6, 1945, an American plane dropped an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, decimating it. America dropped a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki three days later. At this point, Japan surrendered.

The war ended on August 14, 1945, which is also known as Victory in Japan (V-J) Day.

Image note: Remains of a building in Hiroshima, Japan, after the atomic bomb strike in 1945. There is debris in the foreground. The trees have no leaves and few branches. The building’s outer walls still stand, but all the windows are blown out and there seems to be significant damage. There are no people or animals or vivid plant life.

Practice Activity

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